October Writing
by Higuchimon
Summary: [one-shots, 31halloween LJ challenge, multiple characters, alternate universe: Darkness!Ryou] Thirty-one days of multiple characters and adventures.
1. Starting Again

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** Starting Again  
**Character:** Edo Phoenix  
**Word Count:** 338||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Angst||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #1, gravestone  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** Edo pays a visit after the death of DD and the salvation of Saiou.

* * *

_November 24, 1964-July 18, 1996. _Thirty-some years separated the two dates, and another ten from the last one, and Edo remembered every moment of those last ten years. Some more vividly than others, of course. Shattered glass, a warm wind blowing in that chilled his soul to the core, a search that he'd never given up on for a moment...

A search that led him to the second moment that burned in his mind. _Burned _indeed being the right word, given what happened to DD.

"I did it, dad," he murmured to the silent gravestone, rubbing his fingers across it absently. He wasn't sure why he was here; he knew that his father's soul was free at last. But he didn't know where else to go to talk to him. "DD's gone. So's the Light."

He hadn't done that; Juudai'd been the one to save Saiou in the end and Edo promised in the depths of his soul that he would repay the other duelist for that one day. He still shuddered at the memory of his loss to Saiou of the Light. The power of raw destruction surging through him, severing him from the bond he'd forged with both his father's soul and the true Saiou...

Yes. He'd pay Juudai back for it someday. Somehow.

"I wish I knew what else to do." Here he could speak his heart, as he couldn't anywhere else. What did a hero do when they'd done what they'd made themselves a hero to do? He'd found the man who'd killed his father, in the person of the one who'd watched him grow up. He'd avenged the murder. So now what?

_Your clock has stopped! _DD's words echoed in his mind and he set his jaw. He'd sworn he'd get his personal clock, the evolution of his heart and soul, ticking again with his victory in that duel. That was what he would do now, then.

He was still a hero. He just needed to find the right place to be one.

**The End**


	2. In The Family Tradition

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** In The Family Tradition  
**Character:** Abidos III  
**Word Count:** 453||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Angst||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #2, blood  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** Winning is what the Pharaohs of Egypt do. Abidos III is no exception. Well, maybe a small exception.

* * *

Winning was in his veins. How could it not be? He was descended from the same family that provided the mysterious Nameless Pharaoh (Abidos could not help but pity his long lost kinsman, cast adrift without anything to tie him to the afterlife) as well as the great Pharaoh Seto who'd rebuilt Egypt! Winning was simply what their family _did_! No one could argue about this. No one _would _argue about this.

Day after day he practiced his skills, growing stronger with each victory. Unlike those of the past, he and his priests didn't have access to the Millennium Items, but they didn't need it. Daily practice with the kas they used provided the strength they needed. Each win grew easier. _I'm certain they're proud of me! _One day he would meet them face to face and hear their praise for his gifts with his own ears.

Full of confidence, he strode through the corridors of the palace intent on facing and defeating his priests yet again. He wished at times he could fight someone who wasn't one of them. He knew all of their strategies and everything they could possibly bring against him. He wanted something _more_, someone who would give him the sort of true challenge he hadn't felt in too long.

"I can't believe I had to lose again."

Abidos paused; that was one of his priests, wasn't it? He frowned; a loss? He hadn't heard of such, at least not to anyone who wasn't him. He couldn't see whoever it was the priest spoke to; they stood in a room just ahead of him, voices drifting out.

"He's the Pharaoh. What are you going to do?" His _High_ Priest? Abidos couldn't have moved if a Battle Ox strode toward him at that moment. "We _have_to lose."

"I know." Resignation colored the other priest's voice. "It's almost that time again. Let's go."

Abidos found his feet moments later and hurried back the way he came, not eager to see them now that he knew. He didn't want to believe it, but the words burned in his mind all the same. He was _Pharaoh_! How could they do this to him? How could they _lie_ to him? How could they _throw _these fights?

No more. He wouldn't let this happen again. If he couldn't trust his priests, then he couldn't trust anyone. Not anyone _here_.

Not anyone living.

They found him in his room later that day. There wasn't a wound on him and no trace of poison. Yet Pharaoh Abidos III had breathed his last.

But for a duelist seeking an opponent who could give him a fair and true duel, death was little more than a minor inconvenience.

**The End**


	3. Taste of Vengeance

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** Taste of Vengeance  
**Character:** Chronos de Medici  
**Word Count:** 449||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Drama||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #3, bats  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** Chronos lost to Camula once. Now in Dark World, he's got a chance for just a little payback. Sort of.

* * *

Water dripped from the trees and from a few overhanging rocks. It was hard to say the sky grew darker, since there was little light in this world anyway save from the eternal comet. But nevertheless, clouds filled the sky blocking even that illumination as the rain fell. Chronos de Medici cursed it in two languages, glad that he wasn't anywhere where his students could hear him.

He would've liked it if he was, since then he'd know where they were in this strange world, but he took what little pleasures this world of shadows and sorrow could offer.

"We need shelter!" His companion declared, leaning closer so he would hear her over the echoes of thunder. Echo gestured toward a range of mountains on the far side of the forest. "Let's look for caves!"

Having no better ideas himself (and it was a good idea anyway), Chronos nodded and headed that way. Stepping out from the shelter of the branches resulted in getting thoroughly soaked in just a few moments, but he didn't care. He could see a dark archway not that far away which promised some kind of haven.

With Echo a few steps behind, he peered into it curiously, hoping not to find any current inhabitants. There were plenty of monster spirits he would like to meet (he'd always had a fondness for Black-Winged Magician), there were plenty more that he would prefer just to meet as cards.

At first he thought the cave was entirely empty. Then something caught his eye, perhaps a flicker of movement, and he looked up. Red eyes looked back at him.

_Lots _of red eyes.

Memory surged back; a duel, standing on the edge of a lake. Across the field, that evil vampire, Camula. Her taunts revealed her true target as the Kaiser Ryou, for what purposes he hadn't known at the time. He'd fought with all of his heart to keep her away from his precious students. Only to fail. Only to fall.

Only to see her Vampire Bats slicing into the last of his life points.

For a single moment he stood there frozen. Then a single thought slashed across his mind. _This isn't that duel._

He could fight back this time.

Echo wasn't a duelist. She was deadly with her knife, of course, but too many bats stirred there for her to take them all out. But he _was _a duelist.

"I summon Antique Gear Soldier!" Antique Gear Soldier outstripped the bats in attack points; he wouldn't have any troubles there. Antique Gear Golem would've been more satisfying, but he wanted to keep the cave habitable.

Chronos and Echo spent a very comfortable evening in the cave.

**The End**


	4. Should've Known

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** Should've Known  
**Characters:** Asuka, Fubuki  
**Word Count:** 511||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Family, Humor||**Rated:** G  
**Challenge: **31halloween: prompt #4, candy  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** Candy. Costumes. Tailor made for Fubuki. Asuka really should've known.

* * *

Candy. Costumes. From out of nowhere it seemed they appeared. One day the displays in all the stores had been normal, advertising sales and discounts. The next, spiderwebs, witches, and quite a few of the more popular and attractive dark-aligned Duel Monsters stared down at Asuka no matter which way she looked.

Kids ran this way and that, demanding everything from dressing up as their favorite Duel Monster or movie star to six bags of the latest candy. Asuka wondered if the looks of horror she saw in parents' eyes actually existed or if it were her imagination.

_They can't be any worse than Fubuki. _He'd never needed candy in order to exasperate her, much less terrify her. He did it sheerly by being Fubuki. And he did it very well.

The closer it grew to Halloween, however, the more she became of the opinion that some of these kids could give her brother a solid run for his money. No one actually _asked _for any candy; that was reserved for the big night itself, or so she gathered from what some of her classmates talked about. But the talk about costumes and who was going to wear what and who needed to make what or find what or buy what dominated more conversations than it didn't. So did talk about candy: who gave out the best, ways to get some even when one was technically too old to go out trick or treating in the first place, who gave the worst and what punishments some of her fellow students' younger siblings had in mind for people like that.

Yes. Fubuki would fit in like a hand in a glove here.

At least he wasn't here. She didn't know where he was, since his last e-mail to her hadn't mentioned anything and that had been over two weeks earlier. Fubuki was nearly as much a leaf blowing in the wind as Juudai was. She thought he would probably end up settling down somewhere eventually, though, once he got his fill of seeing the world and all the people in it. Until then, her brother would send her e-mails from who knew where and ask if she'd found a boyfriend yet. Once or twice he'd asked if she'd found a girlfriend, just in case he might've been barking up the wrong tree.

Some things never changed.

Such as the fact she was more than a little surprised to unlock her door and find Fubuki sprawled out on her couch, a bowl of candy in front of him. She closed and locked it behind her automatically. "How did you get in here? The door was locked." She _knew_ she'd locked it. She _knew_. She'd just had to _un_lock it, after all.

"I know. I locked it after I came in." Fubuki smiled at her and offered the bowl. "Have you picked out a Halloween costume yet? And is this all the candy you plan to buy? I can finish this tonight!"

Asuka closed her eyes and leaned against the door. She should've known.

**The End**


	5. Fun To Be Scared

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** Fun To Be Scared  
**Characters:** Shou & Ghost King Pumpking  
**Word Count:** 639||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Drama, Humor||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #5, jack o'lantern  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** Pumpking wants to scare someone. Did he pick the wrong person?

* * *

Pumpking liked to scare people. He always had; it was just something that he did. Of course, with Haou's forces everywhere these days, there were less and less people that he wanted to try scaring. One of his brothers once jumped out at Haou himself.

_There wasn't anything left of him. Not even a seed!_ And Haou hadn't even bothered to duel him. Pumpking wasn't certain what the black-armored warlord actually _did_, since he hadn't been there and only heard from a passing Illusion Fairy about what happened.

No, there simply weren't that many people who enjoyed a good scare anymore. _It wasn't this bad with Brron. _Not that the Mad King had possessed much of a sense of humor either.

Pumpking settled himself on the edge of his favorite meadow and started to close his eye. By the tilt of the comet and how much light it gave off, it was time to sleep. He'd heard legends that in other worlds, they didn't have a comet. What was it that lit their skies? Oh, right. The "sun". Such a strange word. He wondered what a sun looked like.

Vague thoughts of that nature drifting through his mind, he began to slip toward sleep. Before he fell all the way, footsteps echoed, drawing closer to him. His first reaction was merely to lay where he was and hope that whoever it was passed him by. It could well be some of Haou's warriors, searching for duelists. _He_wasn't a duelist; they would leave him be. He hoped.

But as they came closer, he realized there was only one set. Haou's warriors always traveled in pairs at the very least. He cracked open his eye and carefully searched the area, doing his best not to move a single piece of himself he didn't need to. Who could be coming into this area?

Then he saw: a human, or at least a human-shaped creature, one of those with one head, two arms, two legs, and no extra body parts such as wings or horns or a tail. _I wonder if he'd mind being scared? _There was only one that he could find out. The human drew closer, perhaps looking for his own place to rest for the night. Pumpking waited and waited, knowing that perfect moment would come...

"Do you see-" Pumpking didn't wait to find out who the human spoke to before he leaped outward, pushing himself upward with his vines, yelling with all of his might.

"_Boo_!"

"Steamroid!"

That wasn't exactly what Pumpking expected. The human fell back, reached for a deck the pumpkin monster hadn't seen, and now a train monster leaped toward him, wheels up and ready to fight.

"Wait, wait!" Pumpking bounced backward, shaking his head. "I didn't mean to hurt you!" Scare him, yes, but not hurt him! Not even humans enjoyed being scared anymore and it was all Haou's fault! What a _monster_!

The human eyed him, an Ojama Yellow floating down from somewhere to sit on the human's shoulder. "What do you want? Who are you?"

"I am Ghost King Pumpking!" The gigantic one-eyed jack o'lantern rose up on his vines as high as he could, then sank back down, tips of his vines twitching. "I just wanted to scare you a little. What's wrong with that?" He shot a look at them. "You don't work for Haou, do you?" Because if they did and he'd offended them, he was probably going to end up wishing that he'd had the same fate as his brother.

The two of them exchanged a glance before they looked back at Pumpking. "No, we don't." The human replied, sending his gigantic monster away with a wave of his hand. "Maybe we should talk."

Pumpking relaxed. At least he wasn't going to get made into a pumpkin pie.

**The End**


	6. Living It

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** Living It  
**Characters:** Jim Cook, Karen  
**Word Count:** 259||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Spiritual||**Rated:** G  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #6, pagan  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** When it's the heart of all you do, you don't need to think about something.

* * *

His fingers brushed across the rocks with a reverence many reserved for the most holy books of their faiths. A faint smile touched his lips as he broke open a stone to see the fossil preserved within, almost perfect save for a few flecks here and there. _Dino-boy would like this one. _He'd have to make certain Kenzan saw it.

Jim leaned back, taking a few moments to rest. Uncovering fossils took a lot out of a person. Secrets of Mother Earth, hidden until someone could find the time and the inclination to uncover them, to meet their distant cousins of the past. Cousins perhaps not by blood or flesh but by having lived on the same planet, breathed the same air, drank the same waters. They were all kin in one way or another, weren't they?

Not everyone would agree, but Jim saw no reason to argue about it. What was, was. No need to get into a fuss over it.

He drank a sip or two of water, offering some to Karen, which the crocodile accepted generously. How could anyone claim he wasn't kin to her?

All part of the world, all part of the cycles that had existed since the dawn of time. Maybe even before then. He believed that in much the same way he believed he walked up right and breathed oxygen.

People fought too much, he thought, over things they didn't need to fight about. He reached over to rub Karen's scales. Maybe one day they'd figure it out. Or so he hoped.

**The End**


	7. Blanket of Leaves

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** Blanket of Leaves  
**Characters:** Saiou, Mizuchi  
**Word Count:** 269||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Family||**Rated:** PG  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #7, leaves  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** Settling into bed isn't easy when you're homeless and psychic. And haven't yet gained control of that last part.

* * *

No one would bother them here. They would be safe, at least until morning. After that, Takuma wasn't entirely certain, but for now, that was enough. He heaped a few more dry leaves on top of Mizuchi and smiled at her in his best reassuring manner.

"Enough?" Safe, but cold, he knew. Even with the blankets they had (few as they were), they would shiver tonight. Piling on the leaves helped.

"I think so." Mizuchi made herself comfortable underneath blankets and leaves and watched her elder brother. "What about you?" If she tried to wiggle out from under there to cover him up, she'd disturb her own leaf blanket.

He frowned, staring at the leaves. "I think I can manage it." He pulled his blankets around his shoulders and stared more at the leaves, eyes narrowed and mind focused. This didn't come as easily to him as the visions did, but he could still do it.

Carefully, slowly, as if pulled by a strange wind, leaves fluttered faster and faster around him. Takuma breathed harder, trying to get them settled down. One leaf splatted against his face and he tried to get it off, scraping at it with his fingers. No matter what he tried, though, the wet leaf clung to him as if it wished to become part of his skin.

"That's enough! Stop! Stop!" He _shoved_ with his mind, far harder than before, and the leaves scattered, even the one on his face, falling all over Mizuchi.

"Brother?" She stared at him, worry filling her large eyes. He shook his head.

"I don't need them anyway."

**The End**


	8. Purification

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** Purification  
**Characters:** Echo, Amon, Sid  
**Word Count:** 269||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Family, Drama||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #8, bonfire  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** There are many things one shouldn't do. Threatening family is one of them.

* * *

"Oh, wow!" Sid stared at the dancing flames as they rose higher and higher. "That's beautiful!" He glanced toward Amon and Echo, who stood a short distance away. "What's it for?"

"I thought it would be a good night for a bonfire." Amon told his younger brother, that warm smile that only Sid could cause slipping across his lips. "We can roast marshmallows if you like."

"Isn't this a little big for that?" Echo asked. Not that she would truly object. If Amon wanted to roast marshmallows, then so it would be.

He didn't answer her, which was answer enough by itself. Sid darted back toward the mansion, steps leading him toward the kitchen. Echo knew he'd find marshmallows, or be given them, there. Amon would've already arranged for it before he suggested anything.

"Is it all in there?" Amon's gray eyes bored into the heart of the flames. Echo nodded.

"By dawn, no one will ever find anything." Underneath the logs, where only she could have known where to look, rested a suit of clothes that once had belonged to a business rival who committed an unforgivable sin: he'd threatened Sid.

Amon Garam permitted _nothing _of the sort to happen. No one would raise so much as a finger against his brother, on pain of death.

He'd warned that man. Echo'd delivered the warning herself. All he'd done was laugh and declare if his demands weren't met, Sid would pay for it.

Sid still wasn't back yet. Echo slid a small vial out of her pocket and tossed it into the flames. Acid and fire dissolved many sins.

**The End**


	9. As They Please

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** As They Please  
**Characters:** Ryou (scrap of Edo x Ryou)  
**Word Count:** 382||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Humor||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #9, black cat  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** Cats do what they want. You just have to deal with it.

* * *

"What are you doing out there?" Ryou stared at the black cat curled up on his balcony. The cat glanced up at him, then began to wash one paw, as if Ryou should know why he was out there and any further explanation from His Feline Majesty would not appear.

Ryou found that oddly familiar. Perhaps that was why he didn't attempt to make the cat leave. Cats chose where they wished to live, he'd learned. This one would leave soon enough once he found that Ryou wasn't a reliable source of food, comfort, heat, or anything else a cat might want.

Unfortunately, no one seemed to have bothered to inform the cat that he might want any of those things. Or if he did want them (and being a living being, Ryou assumed that he did), he didn't bother to ask for them, but took them from wherever he could find them. He saw the cat in the dumpster in the alleyway behind his apartment building once or twice, feasting on leftovers. The cat remained on his balcony, shaded from the wind and rain, never asking to come in, not even staring at Ryou through the glass.

But what sealed the entire deal was Edo Phoenix coming over. Ryou didn't bother to inform his lover that a black cat adopted his balcony as a home. All truth to tell, he hadn't bothered telling anyone that.

Edo tossed his white jacket over the most convenient chair and opened the balcony doors to the fresh air. Neither of them noticed the sleek black figure slipping inside. Seeing someone in black in Hell Kaiser's apartment was hardly anything new for Edo, after all, and Ryou had other matters to concern himself with.

Some time later, Edo wandered back into the living room, satisfied with himself, and started to where he knew Ryou kept a supply of tea reserved for when he visited. He paused when something caught his eye, stared until he realized what it was, and then stalked back to the bedroom.

"Why is there a _black_ cat on my _white _jacket?"

Ryou glanced over toward him, realizing only then what must have happened. He smiled a slow and lazy smile. "Because you put it there. Cats do as they please, you know."

**The End**


	10. Ghosts of Blue

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** Ghosts of Blue  
**Characters:** Fubuki, Manjoume  
**Word Count:** 432||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Drama||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #10, haunted house  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** Fubuki wants to play a trick on Obelisk White. Obelisk White isn't so easily tricked.

* * *

Fubuki bent over his work, straining to get the tension just right on the cords. If he screwed this up, then either nothing would happen at all, or the boards would bang at just the wrong speed and no one would believe there was anything unusual about it at all. He couldn't stand the thought of all of his work being wasted.

_Those Obelisk White people deserve this._ Frankly, he couldn't think of much they didn't deserve after what Manjoume-kun did to his precious little sister. But since this was the sort of thing that he _could_ do, then it was what he _would_do.

There. Almost done. Once he finished this, the White students would run screaming from the building. He'd arranged for satin-sheeted ghosts, done his best to persuade Pharaoh to wander through the building yowling at irregular intervals (he still wasn't sure if the cat understood him but he'd done his best anyway), mysterious bangings at unusual locations, and even strange smells. If this didn't convince them that the building was haunted, _nothing _would.

He got up, brushed himself off, and turned around.

"Fubuki-san." Manjoume White Thunder stood there, a dozen or more white-clad students right behind him. How they'd managed to get up here without getting a spot on those clean uniforms baffled Fubuki. Some sort of spooky evil voodoo magic, probably.

Which was probably how they'd all gotten up there and he hadn't heard a single creak on the stairs, either.

"Manjoume-kun." Fubuki could give remote and distant looks too. He wasn't very good at them, but he could do it. He didn't look at the device he'd just finished. He didn't want to give the game away.

He didn't notice any kind of sign, but three of the students slipped by him, right to where the boards were tied together. In quick unison they unfastened it all and carried it away, faster than he'd put it together.

"I knew you had this in mind. The Light reveals everything, and not always just in duels." Manjoume smiled at him, but not the kind of goofy smile that he'd seen from his pupil in the ways of love before. This kind of smile sent cold chills down Fubuki's spine. "There's nothing you can do to get rid of the Society, Fubuki-san. We are here to stay. No matter what."

Fubuki tensed, seeing nothing but cold hatred in every pair of eyes, even those of Manjoume. He didn't belong here. He didn't _want_to stay in this dorm where everyone was exactly alike, even his dear little sister.

Head held high, he stalked past them, thinking of a place he knew on the beach where he could sleep that night. He'd figure out what else to do after that.

He didn't have to haunt this house, really. Obelisk White was home to the ghosts of proud Blue duelists already.

**The End**


	11. To Banish The Devil

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** To Banish The Devil  
**Characters:** Saiou  
**Word Count:** 395||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Angst||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #11, devil  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** Saiou knew his fate. He couldn't change it. But perhaps there is someone out there who can.

* * *

_Run. Run. Run as much as you please. You can't escape me, Saiou Takuma. You cannot escape your destiny._

Over and over the words echoed around Saiou. No matter where he turned, there rose the Devil, staring down at him with light all around it and laughter fit to freeze the marrow of his bones echoing. He stepped back, turning as he did, only to see it there once again.

"No!" He couldn't let this happen. This wasn't his fate!

_Oh, but it is. Nothing can stop what is to come. No one can change destiny. You know that._

Saiou shuddered at the words, biting full into his heart. He'd tried before. Tried to save his next door neighbor's life when he'd seen death in the man's future. He hadn't wanted to believe it was inevitable. He'd wanted to help.

A fall from a ladder, a broken neck. He'd watched the other going up the ladder before, until the day he realized _that _was the day he'd seen.

"Come down from there! You're going to fall!" Saiou called, trying to get the man's attention. He succeeded; his neighbor looked over to see what the noise was.

His foot slipped. He tried to grip on the ladder, but to no avail.

He fell.

Saiou heard the sharp crack of his neck and all he could do was run, run away, seeing other visions, ones not born of his gift, but of his fear.

_Murderer._

_You killed him. It's your fault._

He shook his head; he hadn't wanted the man to die. He'd tried his best to help him.

_But he died. It was your fault. You can't change what is fated._

Saiou dug his heels in at those words. Something about them clicked in the deepest part of his mind. "If I can't, then maybe I can find someone who can."

And in his mind, at those words, there rose two more images. One he recognized right away from his Tarot deck: the Hierophant. The other he didn't know, but he knew he _was_the Hierophant. And with it came a name: Edo Phoenix.

_He can't help you. You're the Devil, Saiou Takuma. You'll always be the Devil. What can he do?_

Saiou didn't answer. But he hoped against hope that this Edo Phoenix could help. For who could banish the Devil if not a Hierophant?

**The End**


	12. Draw Sand Witch

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** Draw Sand Witch  
**Characters:** Juudai, Sand Witch  
**Word Count:** 419||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Humor||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #12, witch  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** A witch's eyes can see almost anything. Even if she doesn't understand what she sees.

* * *

Ham on rye. Ham on wheat. Chicken on white. Chicken on rye. Sand Witch wrapped each one up and set it out in the correct space. Her first customer of the day would be there soon and she wanted everything ready once he arrived. She closed her eyes to get a better look at him. She liked to do that if she could. It helped to decide what to make first.

Human. Only not human at the same time. Power coursed through him much like blood coursed through the veins of other beings. A ready smile, a cheerful gleam to his eyes, though even with her Sight, she couldn't tell if they were eyes of gold, eyes of two colors, or eyes of brown. The Sight tried to tell her that they were all three.

_I didn't know that was possible. _Even with her power, though, she couldn't know everything. What she knew best were sandwiches. It was the family tradition. Her mother'd been a Sand Witch. All of her sisters were Sand Witches. Her grandmother and great-grandmother and great-great-greatgrandmother, as far back as memory extended, were one and all Sand Witches.

She set out a tuna on white just as a shadow fell over her display. With a toss of her hair, she smiled warmly at the familiar stranger. "What can I get for you today, sir?"

Warm brown eyes smiled back at her. "Don't tell me what you've got. I'm going to pick it for myself. It's like Tome-san's draw bread!"

Sand Witch didn't have the faintest idea of who Tome-san was, but she waited to see what he'd pick. He didn't look at the neatly marked labels, but closed his eyes and grabbed for one of them.

"Salmon on toasted white!" He declared, before opening his eyes. She blinked; how in the world had he done that?

"You're good, sir." She watched as he unwrapped his salmon sandwich. "Is there anything else I can get you this morning?"

"No, that's all right." He smiled at her, utterly cheerful. "Have a good morning!" He tossed down a few coins and headed away. She noticed he had a cat with him; there weren't many people who traveled with pets. Then something else caught her eye. Little more than a glimpse, but clear nevertheless.

A tall, winged spirit, with mismatched eyes and a warm smile as she gazed down upon him. And Sand Witch remembered the legends of the past and her heart thudded in her chest.

_Haou_.

**The End**


	13. Hard Choices

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** Hard Choices  
**Characters:** Yuuki Shinobu, Yuuki Masami, Yuuki Juudai  
**Word Count:** 282||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Angst, Family||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #13, scream  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** Juudai's parents love him very much. Sometimes, you have to do things you don't like because of love.

* * *

"Are you certain this will work?" Yuuki Shinobu watched as nurses wheeled the bed his son rested on into the room. He chewed his lower lip, shoulders tense. "I don't like this." He didn't care if it worked or not, this procedure played with his son's _brain_. A thousand terrifying options ran through his mind.

It wouldn't work at all. Juudai would still hear those screams, screams he and his wife couldn't, but he didn't doubt Juudai could. No one would make up something like that.

It would work but Juudai would lose that special spark that made him their son, brilliant and wonderful and sometimes crazy.

It would work too well and they would lose their son entirely, receiving a blank-faced stranger who didn't recognize them.

He glanced to where Masami sipped at her cup of coffee, her eyes as dark and worried as his. He suspected much the same sort of thoughts coursed through her own mind.

"He screamed, you know," she said, not looking at him. "Before they sedated him. He screamed her name."

Shinobu didn't need an explanation. He closed his eyes and wished with all of his soul that this worked. They couldn't get Yubel's card back from space. Whatever happened to it, whatever made Juudai scream like this, they couldn't do anything about it. All they could do was try to make Juudai forget. And hope that it would be enough.

The nurses set Juudai up in the device while the doctors murmured to themselves about procedures that made no sense to Shinobu. Juudai twitched in his drugged sleep and murmured words that struck deep into his father's heart.

"I'm sorry, Yubel..."

The machine turned on.

**The End**


	14. One-Sided Battle

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** One-sided Battle  
**Characters:** Edo Phoenix, Genetic Warwolf  
**Word Count:** 310||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Action, Supernatural||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #14, werewolf  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** You just can't have a quiet walk in Dark World without something wanting to eat you.

* * *

Hot breath. White teeth gleaming with edges of blue. Eyes that held nothing of humanity or even the necessity of the beast hunting. This creature wanted only to _kill_, to shred meat, drink down blood, and race away to kill again.

It skulked behind a bush, watching its chosen prey. Human, or so the wind said. Humans were easy to kill. They had no special powers, no effects that could tear one apart.

Step by step it slid outward, low to the ground for the first few moments, sniffing the breeze to ascertain that its scent wouldn't alert the human. Then it leaped, anticipating in the depths of its mind how the human would taste, wondering if that silver hair meant it was old and hoped it wouldn't be stringy and juiceless.

One foot piledrivered into the werewolf's stomach, while a powerful fist slammed against its forehead, knocking it to one side. With a confused yelp the creature fell to one side, all four furred arms twitching and trying to understand why its fangs weren't buried in raw meat. This wasn't supposed to happen. No one, least of all a human, should be able to overpower him! He was _Genetic Warwolf_!

The silver-haired human stepped closer, reaching for something on his wrist. Part of the werewolf's mind twitched, recognizing it as a duel disk and what the other pulled out as a card.

"It's getting so a person can't even take a walk without something jumping him," the human muttered to himself, shaking his head. The werewolf tried to get to his feet, but the human spoke other words that made little sense. "Bloo-D!"

Perhaps Genetic Warwolf would've been satisifed to know that its end came at the hand of Edo Phoenix, world-famous duelist in his own world, via Bloo-d, the acknowledged most powerful of the Destiny Heroes.

Perhaps not.

**The End**


	15. Told You So

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** Told You So  
**Characters:** Fubuki, Misawa  
**Romance:** References to Taniya x Misawa  
**Word Count:** 577||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Friendship, Humor, Romance||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** : prompt #15, costume  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** Misawa needed a little help picking his costume for the Osiris Red Cosplay Duel. Who better to help with a costume than Fubuki?

* * *

"This one." Fubuki held the costume against Misawa for a heartbeat before he tossed it aside. "No, that's not right either." He stared at the collection of costumes again, chewing his lower lip. Misawa wasn't at all certain he liked the look in the young Blue student's eyes.

_Why did I ask for his help? _The answer came a heartbeat later: because he was hopeless when it came to choosing a costume. He'd never even attended a costume party in his life before. So picking one for the Osiris Red Cosplay Duel baffled him. "Maybe I should just not bother. It isn't necessary."

Fubuki shook his head, waggling a finger in Misawa's face. "Nonsense! This is fun! Now, what do you think of this one?" He held up an Amazoness Swordswoman costume, then frowned harder at Misawa. "No, you don't have the hips for it." He glanced toward Misawa's face. "What are you blushing for?"

"N-nothing." Misawa wished he could command his blood to go downward. "What about that one?"

He pointed randomly, not caring, just so long as he could pick one and be done with it. Fubuki opened the box and pulled out the costume, comparing it to Misawa. "I think this might work, and it's in your size." Fubuki, naturally, didn't look at the tag to know that. "Here, go put it on."

Misawa got a good look at what this was and it did nothing to help his blood leave his face. For lack of any better response, he headed to the bathroom to change. He could hear rattling coming from where Fubuki was and didn't dare to ask what it might be. He might get an answer.

It took a few moments to wriggle into the outfit, tugging the cloth head over his own head. _It does fit._He had no idea of how Fubuki could judge sizes like that.

"Come on out! I've got your makeup ready!"

He didn't know how Fubuki could do things like that, either.

MIsawa stepped out of the bathroom and Fubuki took a long, considering look at him. "Perfect. You were born to wear that." He paused. "You're blushing again."

"Nothing." Misawa shook his head as Fubuki stepped over with makeup kit in hand. "Do I need to do that, too?"

"Of course. What's an Amazoness Pet Tiger without his scar? You probably earned that scar defending your Amazon!" Fubuki set to work at once and Misawa stood there letting him do it. He didn't want to try to explain to Fubuki that he wasn't a real Amazoness Pet Tiger. Not to mention that the whole situation made him think about Taniya and wondered what she'd think about seeing him like this.

Fubuki caught his attention, a knowing sort of smile on his lips. "You'll meet her again one day, I'm sure. Don't lose hope. True love always comes through in the end."

He didn't bother blushing this time. He didn't think he had any blood left to blush with. "I don't know if this is true love."

"Of course it is. If you don't believe it is, then believe me. One day, I'm going to tell you _I told you so._" Fubuki stepped back and nodded, gesturing for Misawa to check his reflection.

Misawa refused to think about what Fubuki told him. Not that he didn't like Taniya; he did. But true love? At fifteen?

Years later, Fubuki kept his promise. "I told you so."

**The End**


	16. Fool of Games

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** Fool of Games  
**Characters:** Juudai, Amon  
**Word Count:** 301||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Humor||**Rated:** G  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #16, games  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** When it comes to games, Juudai's the best at Duel Monsters. When it comes to everything else...not so much.

* * *

Juudai hated tennis. In all truth, he hated a lot of physical activities. Not because he was lazy (even though he was), but because tennis or baseball or swimming or anything else that didn't involve a dueling deck didn't give him the chance to really show what he was good at. He couldn't bond with a tennis racket! He couldn't form an off the cuff strategy against the waves!

Across the field, his current opponent lifted up one tennis ball, tossed it into the air, and swung his racket at a perfect angle. Juudai watched it; he was going to get it this time! It wasn't as if this were his first time playing. Tennis was just one of the phys ed activities at Duel Academia. He'd had practice.

He had a tennis ball bouncing off his forehead.

"You're really good at this." Juudai rubbed his head and grinned. "I wish Ayanokouji were still here. I'd love to see you guys going up against each other in a match." It might even be almost as interesting as a duel!

Amon Garam raised one eyebrow. "Who would that be?"

"Oh, he was this guy I dueled back in my first year. He was captain of the tennis team then. Not sure who is now." Juudai didn't keep up with things like that. "He even had a tennis theme to his deck."

"Ayanokouji." Amon seemed to taste the name. "Of Ayanokouji Motors?"

Juudai shrugged. "I guess. I didn't ask. Asuka might know, though." He picked up the tennis ball and stared at it. It wasn't the same as a card but maybe he could still try something with it? Somehow? "Ready?"

"Ready." Amon crouched and Juudai tossed up the ball, aiming for it with the same focus he drew cards with.

He missed.

**The End**


	17. Changes

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** Changes  
**Characters:** Ryou  
**Word Count:** 740||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Angst, Drama||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #17, mask  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** In another world, another time, Ryou, not Fubuki, found Fujiwara in the basement. The beginning is a smidgen different.

* * *

"Fujiwara!" Seldom did concern touch Marufuji Ryou's voice, especially not like it did now. He'd heard from Fubuki about the strange things their friend was up to, but he hadn't believed, not down in the core of his soul. Not until now, when he stood on the edge of a strange design, Fujiwara only a few feet away, a strange black mask on his face. "What are you doing?"

"I'll be all right. This is what I want. The power of Darkness." Fujiwara's smile was too soft. Too quiet. Too real. Ryou's stomach clamped with fear of a kind he'd never known in a duel. _Power_surged all around, power that made him want to reach for his deck and fight it back with all of his strength, whether he won or lost.

Ryou started to reach for Fujiwara, only to find himself frozen in place. Fujiwara's smile thinned. "Good-bye, Ryou." The mask lifted itself from his face as he spoke and floated across to hover before the Kaiser. "Take this."

He didn't know why he did, but Ryou accepted the mask. Touching it made his skin crawl, but he couldn't put it down. Fujiwara smiled one last time, soft and sad and lonely, then vanished, the darkness enfolding all around him.

* * *

Ryou didn't know how long he'd dueled, only that he could only vaguely remember when he hadn't dueled. His throat burned dry. His stomach cramped with hunger. His mind fogged with weariness.

_Let me help you._

"No." Ryou ground out one single word. He didn't bother to glare at the mask; he didn't have time to spare in between move. He had to think about them now if he even stood a chance of winning. But he knew the Voice came from there.

That same dark voice he'd heard coming from the mask ever since Fujiwara'd given it to him. Softly encouraging him to put it on, to use its power to save himself, to defeat all those who came against him.

Ryou stood his ground. He was the Kaiser and he would win because of his own skills and his own strength, not because of a mask.

* * *

Darkness hissed to itself; the boy's skills as a duelist were without peer, that was truth itself. Even on the verge of collapse, he didn't lose. He skimmed the edge, occasionally closer than even Darkness wanted, but he hadn't yet failed. And not because of Darkness's power. Always, always, his own talents brought about victory.

_I need him._ He couldn't accomplish what he sought to do in the human world without a host. Not yet. This boy was the one he wanted, the strongest duelist he'd sensed in years. And yet he was so _stubborn_!

If only the other one had found them in that moment. The three were interesting types. This one, his host-to-be, strong and unyielding. The one who'd called him into the world, willingly giving himself to the shadows. And the third...he wouldn't have fought so hard. Fought, yes, Darkness surmised, knowing him through the memories of the other. But in the end, victory would've belonged to Darkness.

This was what he had to work with, though. And as strong as the Kaiser was, Darkness was _patient_. The time would come.

* * *

Ryou slammed into the far back of the dueling arena. He thought he heard something crunch, even as pain shot through his shoulder. _It's broken._ He stumbled, trying to get back on his feet. There would be more duelists. More pain. More wins. More losses. He couldn't stop. He wasn't _allowed_to stop.

"Hey, weakling." He didn't remember what the other duelist's name was. Maybe he'd never known it. They weren't big on introductions here. "I hear you've got a little brother, a real wimp. Maybe when I'm done killing you, I'll go find him, and see if he's worth the trouble of trouncing!"

_Shou._ Ryou's eyes narrowed. The throbbing pain in his shoulder didn't matter anymore. He had to _win_.

It lay out clear in his mind. He needed to win. He _wanted _to win. And there was only one way that he could. One way to gain that strength necessary to put an end to this.

He slipped the mask from his inner pocket and stared at it for a moment. His opponent still ragged on him and Ryou ignored it all.

Then he set the mask on his face and the world changed.

**The End**

**Note:** I haven't decided if I'm going to make this a full on genuine fic yet. I'd like opinions, though.


	18. To Die For

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** To Die For  
**Characters:** Amon Garam, Goa Garam  
**Word Count:** 394||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Family, Drama||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #18, parties  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** It's always polite to ask your parents for a favor. Especially if it involves gold and jewels.

* * *

_Ring. Ring. _Goa Garam glanced at his cell phone; very few knew his personal number, much less dared to call him at an hour like this. Then he saw who it was and nodded.

"Amon." He spoke his adopted son's name in quiet greeting. He'd expected a call like this sooner or later.

"Father." As always, Amon's voice filled with respect. "I need a favor. The golden duel disk you had made. I'd like it shipped over there."

Goa said nothing, making his silence a request for more information, and Amon complied. "I'm throwing a duel party later this week and I'd like to have the disk be the grand prize for whoever is the overall winner."

The head of Garam Finance ran that thought through his head in a second. "Very well, I'll have it sent over. How is the search going?"

"That's what I'm hoping this party will help with. I think I have a good lead, and the party will help clear up a few points on if I'm right or not."

Goa nodded; he'd sent his son there to locate a strange and rare card that he'd heard rumors about. Well, more than rumors. He knew the card existed, but the exact location and proper owner remained a mystery. With the power he knew resided within it, he could accomplish _anything_. He would have that card, no matter what.

"Very well. Keep me informed." It was still early in the year; he hadn't expected Amon to actually have found the card this soon anyway. He was good, but even Amon wasn't a miracle-worker.

* * *

Amon hung the phone up, full of the warm sense of a good job well-done. He knew how fast his father could get things done when he wanted them; the duel disk would arrive well before his party. He'd already made arrangements with the Obelisk Blue staff, making certain they received a huge bonus for the extra time and work, and soon the invitations would go out.

He glanced at the dis-belt on his wrist, lips twisting into a frown. He had to duel that night as well, or risk being sent back to East School. He wouldn't let that happen. But of course, he couldn't let himself die either.

Duel Academia's elite would make a fine substitute.

Friday night would be a party to die for.

**The End**


	19. Alice-chan

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** Alice-chan  
**Romance:** Alice x Kenzan  
**Word Count:** 509||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Horror, Romance||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #19, goth  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** One thought only rules Kenzan's mind. His first love. His first kiss. His Alice-chan.

* * *

_Alice-chan._

Kenzan couldn't think about anyone else. He didn't want to think about anyone else. Who else was there in all the world to think about? No one but beautiful, wonderful, talented Alice-chan.

_Alice-chan._

His heart thudded in his chest. How had he lived without knowing she existed? How could he keep on living if she wasn't there? Her fingers brushing against his lips as she fed him food, her soft, sweet laugh that echoed in his mind still. What more did life have to offer but sweet Alice-chan?

_Alice-chan._

He knew that Juudai slept not that far away, but Kenzan had never felt more alone. Alone except for his memories of Alice-chan. He murmured her name, tossing and turning in his bed. He didn't want to sleep. He wanted to think about her. He wanted to _be_with her.

_Alice-chan._

"Kenzan-kun." Her voice sounded in his ear and he sat up, banging his head on the bunk above him, and not caring. Not when he'd heard _her_.

"Alice-chan?"

"Come to me, Kenzan-kun. Come out to the lake in the woods. I'm waiting for you."

Kenzan barely waited long enough to scramble into his clothes before he headed out the door. His mind swirled with the image of the lovely girl. He ached to run his fingers through her cascade of long black hair, to gaze into those large blue eyes, to admire her wonderful fashion sense. Surely no one had ever made a black dress look so wonderful! Only Alice-chan.

He didn't care about being seen or not. He had to get to Alice-chan. What if someone wanted to hurt her? His eyes slitted for a moment at the very thought. It wouldn't happen. _No one_would hurt her. He wouldn't allow it. He would shred anyone who even thought about it.

"I'm coming, Alice-chan." He didn't know if he was asleep or awake at the moment and he cared even less. What he wanted was her.

Moonlight glittered on the water as he drew close enough to the lake to see it. Alice stood right on the edge, her back to him, her dress seeming woven of shadows and moonlight. "You came, Kenzan-kun."

"Of course, Alice-chan." He stepped up beside her, heart pounding even faster, anticipating things he had only ever imagined before. How to say that he'd come at her call no matter what? That she was his everything? That whatever she wanted, he'd do?

She turned to look at him, moonlight reflecting in her eyes, and he almost swooned on the spot. "I know, Kenzan-kun. I know everything about you."

At least he didn't have to say it. His eyes widened as she brushed her fingers across his lips and leaned forward. "What I want you to do is just wait."

"Wait?" He could wait. He could wait forever if she wanted him to.

She leaned forward and touched her lips to his. "Wait until I call you." At that touch, Kenzan fell backwards, eyes closed, all thoughts but one fading from his mind.

_Alice-chan._

**The End**


	20. Learning To See The Trash

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** Learning To See The Trash  
**Characters:** Juudai, Satou  
**Word Count:** 217||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Angst||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #20, R.I.P.  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** Juudai said hello to all of his friends when he returned to Duel Academia. But there was one person he needed to say good-bye to.

* * *

"You were right, you know. I didn't see the trash on the ground back then." Juudai stared down into the chasm. He'd only been back at Duel Academia for a few days, but he knew he needed to do this.

_There's trash on the ground. Two people pass by. One sees it and ignores it. The other doesn't see it at all. Which one is worse?_

Such a simple question and the answer had slipped by him at the time. He'd gone for the obvious one. The one who ignored it was obviously wrong. Ignoring things wasn't right. He'd sort of ignored the whole mess with the Society of Light, waiting for them to come to him. So he'd tried being more active, to go after things before they got out of hand. And that hadn't worked either.

_The one who ignores it can change their mind and come back later to pick it up. _He'd convinced himself that was what he'd done. Only to have it pointed out to him brutally that he'd ignored other problems all along.

Words weren't going to do anything to help. All he could do now was his best to prove he'd learned to see the trash by the actions he took.

"Good-bye, Satou-sensei," Juudai murmured, turning away. "Rest in peace."

**The End**


	21. Firemaster

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** Firemaster  
**Characters:** O'Brien  
**Word Count:** 217||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Drama||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #21, flame  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** The fire won't listen to him. He's going to have to change that.

* * *

Flames crept closer toward the pool of gas, licking, teasing, taunting. He reached for them, willing them with all of his soul to back down, vanish, just melt away and never exist again.

To not harm his family. To not kill his parents.

_Save him._

The fire moved closer; he had no time left. Larger flames waved in the wind, one darting toward the front of the car.

He moved. He had no choice. He couldn't stop the fire. All he could do was rescue one of them.

He tugged on the door, hot, burning, scorching his hands, and not caring. No time. No time left at all. The flames would touch the gas and there would be nothing, none of them left at all.

Maybe it was better that way...

No. Had to save one, had to do something, had to do what was right!

"Go away!" He didn't know if he thought it or screamed it and he didn't care. The fire refused to listen, even as he pulled his father out and they stumbled to the side, to the cool wind and the trees that didn't burn.

If the fire would only listen...

He would make it listen. He would _own_the fire. He would become the master of fire. A warrior of flame.

**The End**


	22. You Washed My Jacket?

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** You Washed My Jacket?  
**Characters:** Manjoume  
**Word Count:** 845 ||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Humor, Supernatural||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #22, "Thing"  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** Obelisk Blues get their clothes washed for them. Manjoume would prefer to pass up the privilege.

* * *

"_Where is my jacket_?" Manjoume's bellow didn't quite shake the foundations of Obelisk Blue, but not for lack of trying. Towel wrapped around his hips, he stalked out of his dorm room and glared at anyone who might be around for him to glare at. "My jacket. Where. Is. It.?"

Students scattered no matter where his attention fell. No one wanted Manjoume Thunder angry at them. He hadn't actually been _seen_throwing lightning bolts at anyone, but rumors abounded on what happened to people who weren't Yuuki Juudai and yet who got on his nerves. No one wanted to find out if those rumors were true first-hand.

Obelisk Blue featured many amenities the lower dorms didn't. One such amenity was laundry service: servants checked each dorm on a regular basis and took away dirty clothes left in hampers and brought back clean uniforms. Manjoume, given that he had one jacket that he wore and would never have considered wearing another, ignored the laundry service altogether. Or at least, he had up until now.

"You." He stopped the first laundry worker he saw, completely uncaring of the fact he wore only a dark blue towel and nothing more. "Have you seen my jacket? It's black." He didn't feel he needed to describe it other than that. It was his jacket, after all.

She blinked at him, not a shred of recognization in her eyes, but a faint hint of blush across her cheeks. "I took a black jacket down to the laundry room about ten minutes ago, sir. It was filthy, I had them put it through as a rush job. The pants and shirt, too. They reeked!"

Manjoume couldn't have been more frozen if he'd stood at the North Pole. "You...washed...my jacket?"

She nodded in confusion, taking a step back. "Did I do something wrong?" She shuffled her feet, not meeting his eyes. "I'm new here, sir. If I made a mistake, I'm sorry."

"You washed my jacket?" Manjoume didn't think he could get his brain wrapped around this fact. Two and a half years and someone had _washed his jacket_? He'd come back to Obelisk Blue and this happened?

The laundry woman lifted her head, just barely meeting his eyes. "But it was dirty. It stank. I think it could've moved before I touched it!" "So what if it did?" Manjoume didn't care about any of that. No one needed to wash his jacket! "No one needs to wash my coat. And that wasn't _dirt_. That was valuable patina!" He could've named every single stain on his coat if he'd had to. Not just named them, but known he'd been when they happened and what he'd done when they happened.

She swallowed some, then raised her head. "I'm sorry, sir. I won't let it happen again."

"You'd better not. I want it back here as soon as possible." Manjoume staked back to his room, muttering under his breath about people not understanding simple facts that should be handed out as soon as they set foot on the island. You did not wash his coat! Right up there with dueling solved problems and something strange would happen at least once a year, if not twice, whether they wanted it to or not. Valuable lessons for life in this place.

Two hours. Two hours of sitting in his room wearing little more than a towel, as he absolutely refused to touch any of the standard Obelisk Blue uniforms so kindly left behind. He thanked every star he knew of, as well as some he was only mildly acquainted with, that Fubuki had chosen to spend the day with Kaiser in the infirmary. If his love mentor found out about this, he didn't know what he'd do. _Probably lend me his coat. _Fubuki could be a pain at times, there was no doubt about it, but he would also give someone the shirt off his back if they needed it. Or if he thought it might fit them and wanted to see if he was right.

A quiet tap on the door preceded the laundry servant's return with his property. She said nothing at all, but merely handed over his coat, shirt, and pants, and left. Manjoume suspected she would ask for a transfer to the girl's dorm after this. So long as his precious black outfit didn't get washed again, he didn't care.

He ran his hand over the jacket, wrinkling his nose at the scent of fabric softener, detergent, and dryer sheets. _I'll have to start all over again._

He wriggled into his clothes, feeling the warmth as he settled the jacket into place, almost like comforting arms wrapping around him. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back, breathing in the still faintly there scent of old food and sweat and grime. After all this time, it couldn't be completely gotten rid of.

For a single moment, he thought the jacket tightened, not uncomfortably, but as if he were hugged. He brushed his fingers across one sleeve.

"Good to see you again, too."

**The End**


	23. Seeds of the Future

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** Seeds of the Future  
**Characters:** Camula  
**Word Count:** 251||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Supernatural, Family||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #23, goblet  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** Camula and her family share a toast, unaware of what the future holds in store for them.

* * *

Camula's hands wrapped around the stem of the goblet, tilting it back to let the warm blood within flow down her throat. Not quite as robust as when it came directly from someone's veins, but much easier to lift a toast with.

"To our family!" Vome lifted his cup, the movement echoed by Camula, her mother, and her siblings. "To the proud vampire race!"

Camula could not help a smile as she sipped once again. "To the vampires." Her heart beat faster at that. Surely there could be no greater honor in all the world than to belong to the vampires.

She caught her brother's eye as they both settled back into their chairs. Nayte's lips curved upward, a hint of mockery floating about his expression. She lifted an eyebrow; what thoughts wandered through his mind? He'd spent much time traveling lately and yet had spoken little of what he'd seen in the world.

_I wonder if some human's caught his eye. _It wouldn't be the first time a vampire chose to honor a human with their attentions. There were even rumors of children born of such unions, neither fully vampire nor truly human. Camula dismissed such thoughts. Her brother would be wiser than that.

She drained the last of the blood from her cup and gestured for a refill. Much work lay ahead of her. She would need all of her strength for that, and the more blood the better, be it from the veins of a vessel or not.

**The End**


	24. With God As His Slave

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** With God As His Slave  
**Characters:** Franz  
**Word Count:** 164||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Drama||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #24, chain  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** Franz has enslaved God. Is there anyone who can stop him?

* * *

God, enslaved to his command at last. How could anyone not want power like this? The power to create or to destroy, chained so that only he could use it now.

_Pegasus is wrong. There's nothing that matters in the world **but** power. _One would think the man who created Duel Monsters would know that. Hadn't he created the God Cards themselves, the embodiment of the greatest power of all?

Well, perhaps the second greatest now. What was greater, the Gods or the power that bound God to his service? He knew the answer to that.

Franz looked forward to his arrival at Duel Academia. Genex would be won in short order and Pegasus would not only be forced to acknowledge that he, Franz, was the greatest designer of them all, but the greatest _duelist _of them all.

And not just Pegasus, but the world as well. For with God at his command, no one could stop him.

For who could stop a God?

**The End**


	25. Glance To The Past

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** Glance to the Past  
**Characters:** Yubel, Martin  
**Word Count:** 231||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Drama||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #25, cape  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** Yubel has everything ready for the birth of the Martin Zombie Empire. Just one last detail to have it all right.

* * *

Yubel explored her new body with great attention to detail. For all of his small size, Martin Kanou held a level of darkness she hadn't seen in some time, darkness that drew her in inevitably. Amon Garam's darkness was a pale shadow compared to this level of loneliness and heartache.

But it wasn't complete, not yet. She'd already decided what to do; Martin wanted friends, didn't he? And she wanted to show Juudai how much she loved him, sharing the pain he'd once given her. Both of those goals could be accomplished with one action.

And yet, one small piece remained undone. Martin would rule an empire in short order, and an emperor needed to look the part. It only took a moment or two for her to manifest what she needed. For the most part his Ra Yellow uniform fit the image she wanted. But now she added a yellow cape with a high collar to it, draping it around one arm.

_Excellent. _The cape reminded her of the old days, so many eons earlier. Those of high station wore garments such as this. Perhaps it would jog Juudai's memory a little, once he saw it.

Perhaps she could also find a place and a body to wear her old armor. She hoped she wouldn't need to. She hoped her beloved would remember her before this ended.

_I'm coming, Juudai._

**The End**


	26. Care of a Mother

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** Care of a Mother  
**Characters:** Edo, Tome  
**Word Count:** 770||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Family||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #26, spiderwebs  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** Edo wants to check on the state of his yacht once he returns to Earth. What he finds isn't what he expected.

* * *

Celebration and confusion still reigned behind Edo as he made his way through the forest to the docks. He paid little attention to it. He'd seen what he didn't want to see already (_damn it, Ryou, where the hell are you?_) and now he wanted to just get on his boat and head away from here. Where, he didn't yet know. Back to the Pro Leagues eventually, he presumed, though for now he would settle for a certain house and a couple of friends he hadn't seen in far too long.

The yacht would be messy, he knew that. At a guess they'd been gone about two or three months and since he was the only one who took care of it, there would be dust everywhere, at the very least. He didn't even want to think about what some of the food supplies would look like. He'd have to clean up everything and get replacements.

At least that would give him a plausible excuse to get the hell away from here as soon as he could.

Dust, cobwebs, possibly even a spider or two living in the webs, and who knew what else. He trusted Samejima to at least keep the curious students away from the place, but that was about all he trusted. At least no one left here was as prone to breaking the rules as Juudai was. Fewer chances someone would decide to sneak on there regardless of what the principal said.

He stepped onto the yacht and looked around, checking for any signs of damage. He took a quick breath and frowned almost at once. He should've smelled _something_ wrong, something that had gone bad. Yet there was nothing. Everything smelled right, which was _wrong_.

Edo made his way to the kitchen, noticing a distinct lack of anything that even resembled dust. For all that this place showed, he might well have been there last just a day or two earlier.

"Edo-chan?" He whirled at the quasi-familiar voice, tensing at the sound of someone on his boat that he didn't fully recognize. But only a fool would fear the sight of Tome. She smiled at him. "I hope you didn't mind, but I kept your boat clean for you. It didn't feel right to just leave it alone while you were off helping Juudai-chan."

Edo shifted, transferring his attention from her to the refrigerator and back again, not sure of what to say.

"I made sure to keep your food fresh, too. Just changed it early this morning, actually." She started to take a step toward him. Edo didn't know if he wanted to move or not. In all of his short life, he couldn't ever remember someone taking care of him like this, with the sole exception of his father. His mother had died when he was a year old, gunned down in a convenience store robbery gone horribly wrong. Was this what a mother did?

He steeled himself and nodded politely. "Thank you." That was what was right to say, wasn't it? He wished human interaction came with a manual, something he could use to look up 'what to do when someone does something you didn't ask and never expected'. He was pretty sure 'thank you' was acceptable, though.

"My pleasure. You know, you're invited to the party."

"Party?" This was why he preferred being friends with Saiou, who he didn't need to clarify himself for, or with Ryou, who simply didn't bother giving a damn about whether Edo was clear or not.

She nodded. "It's to celebrate everyone coming home safe and sound." She frowned for a moment. "Almost everyone, at least." She didn't have to list who didn't return, and while Edo could cheerfully go the rest of his life never seeing Amon Garam again, he suspected Juudai might be useful to have around and Ryou had been known to have his uses, as had Misawa. "At any rate, it's going to start in another hour or two, and I need to get cooking for it."

Tome waved and all but vanished through the door. Edo stared after her, still not entirely sure about what just happened. _Party?_He latched onto what he could think of at the moment. No, he wasn't going to go there. But he would settle down and call Saiou and think of a few sharp words to deliver to both Ryou and Juudai once they got back. He didn't doubt that they both would, sooner or later.

And he wouldn't tell anyone anything about this. Some things needed to remain private.

Of course, Saiou already knew.

**The End**


	27. Waiting To Die

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** Waiting To Die  
**Characters:** Amon Garam  
**Word Count:** 329||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Angst||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #27, full moon  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** Amon wondered how long it would take to die. He'd never done it before. Would it hurt?

* * *

_I wonder if it hurts to die. _Amon had never died before. He didn't know these things. He'd never even thought about them before now. Or before two weeks earlier, at least. Before he'd found himself here, alone, and likely to stay that way for the rest of his life.

However long that was.

He lay back on the ground, arms folded behind his head, and watched as the moon rose higher and higher. A few clouds drifted here and there, and his eyes followed them without him having to think about it. One of them floated slowly in front of the moon, not quite thick enough to block out all of the silver light, but enough for Amon to notice.

_I wish I were a cloud. I could float around all day and all night. Does it hurt a cloud when they die? _He didn't think it did. How could it? Clouds didn't have feelings. Clouds didn't get hungry or thirsty. Clouds didn't get cold.

Behind the cloud, the moon shimmered bright and full, making it nearly as light as daylight out there. Something scuttled a short distance away. Amon tilted his head to look and caught sight of what he thought was a scorpion. He didn't move, waiting to see what it did.

Perhaps it would come over and sting him. Then he would die. That would hurt, though. Still, he'd finally be dead. Nothing more to worry about.

What would happen to his soul when he died? Would he turn into a cloud? He didn't think he deserved Heaven and he wasn't sure if he'd been bad enough for Hell.

The scorpion scuttled on out of sight and Amon sighed. Another chance to die gone.

He looked back up at the moon. The cloud passed on, winds thinning it. Amon envied the cloud. At least he missed it when it was gone. No one would miss him. Best just to die and get it over with.

**The End**


	28. Afterlife Problems

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** Afterlife Problems  
**Characters:** Daitoukuji  
**Word Count:** 228||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Spiritual||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #28, ghost  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** Without Juudai around to liven things up, Daitokuji finds being dead more boring than ever.

* * *

Daitokuji didn't realize how boring being dead could be until Juudai wasn't around to liven up his afterlife.

_Living in Pharaoh's stomach is too peaceful._Without Juudai around to get into trouble, stirring up spirits, and getting the whole school dragged to some other world, all Pharaoh did was sleep all day, usually in the middle of Juudai's bed.

On one occasion he nudged Pharaoh to wander through the woods until they came to the graveyard ruins. He'd heard Dr. Zweinstein mention something to Principal Samejima about another gateway that opened the night they'd returned to Earth.

_Juudai-kun wanted to find Johan-kun. _He didn't doubt that. He knew that boy too well to think anything else. He could only wish him well.

Yet they'd all been gone over two months, without a single sign they'd ever return.

Barely visible in the morning light, he stared at the ruins, wishing Pharaoh would somehow unlock the gateway, as he had once before. _I don't know what I could do to help, but it would be more interesting there than here._

Daitokuji didn't like being bored. Nothing he'd heard about the afterlife involved dueling or adventures or alchemy, so he wasn't that interested. Perhaps one day he'd give it a try, but today was not that day.

Today was the day he waited with Pharaoh, looking for friends to come home.

**The End**


	29. Strange Ties

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** Strange Ties  
**Characters:** Juudai, Johan, Camula  
**Word Count:** 328||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Humor, Friendship||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #29, vampire  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** Juudai's noticed something about Johan's voice. Something he never thought of before.

* * *

"Hey, Johan?"

Johan glanced up to where Juudai sat across from him, flat on his back on the couch, legs folded over the back of it, going through his old school PDA. "What?"

"Say something for me." Juudai's gaze flicked over for a moment before he looked back at the screen.

Johan blinked a time or two. "Excuse me?" In the years he'd known Juudai, he'd been asked several strange questions. This one definitely ranked in the top five for weirdness.

Juudai didn't move or look away from the screen. "Say something. Say something like 'I summon Vampire Bat!'"

The question moved up to the top three. "Why do you want me to say that?"

"I want to see if I'm right about something. Go on, say it. Nothing's going to happen, trust me." Juudai gave him another look, curiosity burning in the depths of his eyes. Johan shrugged; what was it going to hurt?

"I summon Vampire Bat!" Just as Juudai promised, nothing at all happened, except for Juudai grinning wildly.

"I was right!" He swung himself straight on the couch and turned the PDA to where Johan could see it. "Watch this."

A video played, showing an elegant pale-skianned woman dueling against Professor Chronos. And indeed, one of her monsters was Vampire Bat. But something else caught Johan's attention.

"She sounds...almost like me." It wasn't perfect, but close. Enough so Johan could see why Juudai'd wanted to hear him say it. "Who is she?"

"Camula. She was the last of the vampire race. Wanted revenge on humans because we killed all of her people." A brief flicker of sorrow moved through Juudai's eyes. "I had to beat her to save Kaiser and Chronos-sensei and she lost her soul because of it."

He shook his head for a moment before a half-smile touched his lips. "Maybe you're related to her? You don't like your meat bloody, do you?"

Johan found a pillow and smacked Juudai with it.

**The End**

**Note:** In the original Japanese Yu-Gi-Oh GX, Kanako Irie provides the voices of both Camula and Johan Andersen. If you listen, you can even hear the similarities.


	30. Missing Piece

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** Missing Piece  
**Characters:** Kaiba Seto, Kaiba Mokuba  
**Word Count:** 701||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Horror, Family||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #30, Hell Night  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** People are vanishing all over Domino City. But far more importantly, someone is missing from Kaiba's heart. The last piece of his puzzle...

* * *

Seto looked over the report Kagemaru and Saiou sent in, a faint crease between his eyes. He'd never been overly fond of the mystical events that had a habit of surrounding dueling, but this was getting out of hand. People disappearing? Those who vanished being forgotten?

_I need to go to the Academy. _He would speak with Samejima and that one student of his who was always up to his neck in whatever it was going on there. Yuuki Juudai, that was his name. If anyone short of Yuugi could figure out all of this mess, then it would be them. Or he'd know the reason why.

"Mokuba." He flicked the intercom on before he spoke, knowing his brother would be in his own office, hard at work despite the hour. Mokuba wasn't quite as dedicated as he was (Seto had gone to a great deal of trouble to make certain he wasn't, after all) but he still found reasons not to leave the building until Seto himself did.

The answer he got wasn't what he expected. Mokuba barely had time to form Seto's own name before his voice faded away. Seto took a step toward the door and froze suddenly.

_What is going on?_ His eyes narrowed. Something was wrong. The sense of it flowed through his veins. He didn't know what it was, but _something _had just changed and he couldn't think of what it was.

He'd been going somewhere. He started to walk forward and found himself headed toward a door with a blank nameplate on it. That was strange in and of itself; why would there be a _blank _nameplate?

The door swung open at a touch and he looked around. _Empty?_That didn't make any sense. He never had anything in his office or building without a purpose and an empty room served none. But here it was all the same.

Ridiculous. He'd remodeled this place himself only three years earlier, to...to...

Seto's teeth ground against one another. He did nothing without a reason behind it. If he'd remodeled the office area to have someone else there, then someone would be there. So if someone wasn't there, then _that was wrong_.

He whirled, intent on finding what, or who, was missing, and as he did, the pendant around his neck caught his attention. Curiously he opened it up, wondering what he'd find inside.

Nothing. Just a blank, empty storage area.

_No. There was something there._ Kaiba Seto refused to believe he'd wear this if it didn't mean something. He wasn't a teenaged brat who put on things just for the show. This _meant something_.

Seto stared at the card, fingers closing tight about it. Why did he have this? Who had given it to him?

_A flash of black hair..._

Someone important to him. Someone _more _important than he was. The memory danced out of his reach, taunting and teasing, wrapped in shadows and pulling away.

Kaiba Seto would have none of that. He'd had more than enough of his mind being tampered with. "You can't have it." He didn't know what the memory _was_ but he knew it was _his _and no one took what was his.

_Gray eyes that reflected a thousand emotions..._

His hand gripped the card tighter and tighter, on the verge of cracking it, and he didn't care. He could replace it. He could replace anything...

Except this memory. This alone he couldn't buy or rent or take from someone else. This was a _person_.

He clung to that with every ounce of his heart. The memory wasn't just a memory. A person, the most important person in all the world, in any world, to him. His...his...

The card pendant cracked, driving a piece of glass into his thumb. Seto wiped the blood away absently. Blood...his blood. Blood he shared with...with...

With one person. Only one, the only one who mattered, who had _ever_mattered to him.

And one name struck into his heart, one memory fell back into place. "Mokuba."

A rare smile slipped across his lips, though it wasn't one most people would've wanted to see. No one separated the Kaibas. Whoever had done this would pay.

In blood.

**The End**


	31. Party Time

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
**Title:** Party Time  
**Characters:** Fubuki, Fujiwara, & Ryou  
**Word Count:** 351||**Status:** Complete  
**Genre:** Friendship, Humor||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** 31halloween: prompt #31, Halloween  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Summary:** When it comes to parties, Fubuki is a planner. Especially when it's three birthday parties in one.

* * *

"We've got three cakes." Fubuki stared from the table groaning with refreshments to the list in his hand. "Seven different kinds of potato chips, ten different kinds of dip, every soda I could find, green tea for Ryou, ice cream in every flavor." He double-checked, he'd managed to get every flavor. At least every flavor the store had available.

"Are you sure about all of this?" Fujiwara stood in the doorway, watching the preparations with hints of unease in the depths of his eyes. Fubuki waved a careless hand.

"Does it matter? It's _that time_!" He hadn't sounded this excited since...the last time the three of them celebrated their birthdays. Fujiwara smiled.

"I suppose you're right." Granted, he still didn't think piling enough food to feed a medium sized army was the best way to celebrate the first birthday since they were reunited, but he wasn't the one paying for it.

Ryou stepped up behind Fujiwara, cool gaze flickering over everything Fubuki'd prepared. "You're having fun with this, aren't you?" He really didn't need to ask. There wasn't a lot Fubuki didn't have fun with.

"How could I not? It's the birthday week!" Fubuki said that in tones that most people normally associated with 'water is wet' and 'the sun rises in the east'.

"Three days aren't a week." Fujiwara couldn't help but point out. Fubuki waved his hand again.

"Details, details." He turned to face both of them, eyes flittering with pleasure. "This is our party. This is our birthday. We are the birthday brothers."

Ryou rolled his eyes; Fubuki'd insisted on saying that every year on October 31st. That was only Fubuki's actual birthday; his own was on the first of November, while Fujiwara's was on the second. If nothing else, none of them had any excuses for forgetting.

"Everyone should start turning up soon." Fubuki didn't bother to look at the time. He hadn't set a time to start, but he knew people and he knew what they'd do. "Is everyone ready for a _great_party?"

"Do we have a choice?" Ryou deadpanned and Fubuki grinned even wider.

"Nope."

**The End**

**Note:** While I write in the anime-verse, the manga states Fubuki & Ryou's birthdays are indeed October 31 and November 1. Fujiwara's isn't mentioned, but I've always had a soft spot for the three of them having birthdays that line up like that.


End file.
